Jeremy Hunt is a busy man this morning. Quite apart from his major announcement on ‘named clinicians’, which receives extensive coverage in the papers, the Guardian reports that he is also to launch a new organisation to oversee the creation of a ‘genomic revolution in healthcare’.
Genomics England will aim to attract big business investment, as part of a new ‘personalised’ medical service, but the Guardian says that this may raise concerns over patient privacy in the NHS.
Led by Sir John Chisholm, a former chair of the Medical Research Council, Genomics England will look to attract investment from companies interested in building a new life sciences industry alongside the NHS by offering them cash from a ringfenced partnership fund, currently valued at £300m.
Lessons in mental health should be part of the national curriculum, according to a mental health charity. The Independent has published the results of a report claiming that nearly a third of children in Britain have contemplated or attempted suicide. The study, carried out by MindFull, an offshoot of the BeatBullying charity, is backed by clinical psychologist Professor Tanya Byron, Labour leader Ed Miliband, and child-protection expert Professor Eileen Munroe, and calls for schools to educate young people on how to cope with mental-health issues.
Based on research of the experiences of more than 2,000 16- to 25-year-olds across Britain, the research showed that 32% of young Britons have had suicidal thoughts, while 29% of young adults deliberately harmed themselves as teenagers.
And if you thought that popular culture made no impact beyond the television screen, think again. The Telegraph reports that doctors from the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) have thanked Sex and the City for contributing to the, er, extinction of pubic lice.
Apparently Brazillian waxes increased in popularity as a result of the American TV show, and BAD have ‘pinpointed’ one particular episode in 2000 as ‘the moment the trend went global’. As a result, the Telegraph says, ‘from 1997 to 2003, incidence of the lice dropped from 0.41% to 0.17%, and sexual health clinics around the world have reported that the once common complaint is now extremely rare.’
Spotted a story we’ve missed? Let us know and we’ll update the digest throughout the day…
